


Unexpected Surprise

by Shadow_Silvertongue1



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: Aged Up Taniyama Mai, De-aged Lin Koujo, F/M, Family, Flashback, Fluff, Happy, Humour, Koujo is Twenty-Nine, Mai is Twenty-Three, Nineteen when she and Koujo slept together, Romance, SPR Disbanded, SPR Returning, Surprises, Twenty-Five when he and Mai slept together, four years later, unexpected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2019-05-05 06:22:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14611476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadow_Silvertongue1/pseuds/Shadow_Silvertongue1
Summary: It's been four years since Lin and Naru left Japan and returned to England to bury Gene's body; now they've returned to re-open SPR, however something happened between Mai & Lin before he left and now he's about to discover an unexpected surprise. Mostly fluff.Rated Teens and Up for suggestive scenes but nothing explicit.





	1. Revealing the Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Ok, so I know I already have two GH stories that are incomplete and I know that I should be working on chapter three of AYWE however over the past few days I have had a little plot bunny running around in my head and kind of annoying me. I know it won't go away until I write it down so here it is. (Wow, I think that's the longest A/N I have ever written). ENJOY!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.
> 
> PS: This is a Lin/Mai story.

* * *

_\- Flashback -_

_Mai looked at the clock on her desk in surprise. She'd been so focused on doing the paperwork and filing before moving onto her homework she'd received that week. She was glad Michiru and Keiko were her friends. They'd been nice enough to deliver her schoolwork to the office although she had a sneaking suspicion that it was because they wanted to Naru again, even if it had been two-three years or so since they first met him. Needless to say, Naru was unimpressed when they did show up and distracted Mai from her work. He'd managed to get her attention again by ordering her to make him some more tea._

_It was getting late and Mai looked out the window quickly, sighing as she noticed that it was now raining and she had to walk home in this miserable weather. She quickly stood and headed to the kitchenette to make Naru and Lin a final pot of tea before informing them both that she was going to head home. When the tea was ready she placed the cups onto the serving tray and delivered it to Naru and Lin._

" _Naru, it's getting late so I'm going to head home now." She said as she left his office._

" _Be here at 8am tomorrow." Was all he said as the door closed behind her. Mai sighed, Naru certainly was a workaholic. He was a little bit of a slave driver too. Mai quickly packed her bags and headed to the door, grabbing her coat from the coat rack as she did so._

_Click._

" _Do you need a ride home?" Lin asked, making Mai turn around at the sound of his voice. She blushed slightly and looked at him, thinking about her reply._

" _I was going to walk." She told him, shrugging her coat on._

" _I can give you a lift if you'd like." He offered with a twist of his lips. Her light blush deepened slightly at the small smile on his face._

" _I'd like that very much Lin-san. It'll save me from getting soaked." She responded, taking him up on his offer. It wasn't like she needed a cold, as it would only hinder her from work and school. A pissed of Naru was not a pretty sight, nor was falling behind in school because she was sick. Lin quickly informed Naru that he was taking Mai home before the duo walked down to the car park. Instead of heading to the company van, Lin led Mai to a sleek black car a few spaces over._

_Ten minutes later the duo arrived at Mai's apartment._

" _Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea, Lin-san?" Mai asked quietly as they approached her door. Lin remained silent for a moment, thinking before he responded._

" _Yes, thank you Taniyama-san." He said as she unlocked her door. She stepped inside, flicking on a light before removing her shoes and coat. Lin followed suit. Mai gestured for Lin to take a seat before heading to her room to deposit her bag. She walked down to the kitchen and prepared some tea, grabbing some biscuits in the process. She knew it wasn't good to eat sweet things before dinner but right now she was too tired to cook._

_The evening progressed and before long, Mai and Lin were embracing each other in a heated and passionate kiss that would result in an unexpected gift._

_A new life._

_\- Flashback End -_

 

It had been two months after that fateful night that Naru had found what he was looking for and closed down the office. Two months after that night and the whole group found out who Naru really was. Both he and Lin had returned to England with Gene's body.

"Mama, do you think Papa will return soon?" A little voice asked, as small hands tugged on Mai's t-shirt. Mai looked down at the little girl, love and adoration in her cinnamon eyes.

"I don't know, Emiko. He might." Mai replied, a soft smile on her face. Just then a knock sounded on her door right before her phone rang. Mai sighed before turning to her daughter.

"Emiko will you get the phone, please. Mama needs to answer the door." Mai asked. Emiko smiled and nodded, skipping off to get the phone as Mai walked towards the door and opened it.

"Ayako? Bou-san? What are you doing here?" Mai asked surprised.

"Tell me you or Emiko didn't answer the phone." Ayako said, pushing Mai aside and walking into the apartment.

"Emiko just did. Why?" Mai asked, frowning when both adults groaned. Before either of them could explain Emiko came bouncing into the room with the phone in hand.

"Mama, the phone is for you." She said happily. Mai grabbed it, dreading who was on the other end.

"Hello, Mai speaking. Who is this?" she asked, carefully.

" _Mai."_  Came the response.

"N-naru? Why are you calling?" she asked.

" _Are Matsuzaki and Takigawa there?"_  He asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes they are. Why? How did you get my new number?" Mai demanded, suspiciously eyeing the pair who stood in front of her with guilty looks on their faces.

" _They gave it to me. I'll call you back later and let them explain."_  He replied coolly before disconnecting the call. Mai could practically hear him smirking. He obviously knew well enough that Mai was going to interrogate the duo that was trying to sneak out the door. Mai put the phone down and glared at both of them.

"Stop right there. Take a seat and kindly explain what on earth is going on and why Naru has my new number." Mai told them, icily, gesturing towards the couch in her open plan living area.

"Fine, fine. Could we have a cup of tea?" Bou-san asked resignedly as he and Ayako sat down.

"Alright." Mai replied, grudgingly. Emiko smiled at her mother before joining her aunt and uncle on the couch, a book in her hands. Although she was intelligent for a four year old, she still didn't quite understand what was happening but that was to be expected. Mai quickly returned to the living room with a tray of tea and some biscuits, placing it on the low coffee table in front of said couch. Mai looked at the couple with a meaningful glance.

"Ok, spill. I want a full explanation." Mai demanded. Ayako and Bou-san smiled sheepishly before beginning their explanation. Needless to say, it was rather short.

"Naru and Lin are back. Naru wants to re-open SPR and is asking all of us to come back." Ayako said.

"When did they arrive? How long have they been here?" Mai asked.

"About two weeks. We've known the whole time because we met them at the airport." Bou-san replied.

"Why did no one tell me that they were back? I know I have a responsibility to my daughter as her mother but who do you think has a responsibility to Emiko as her father?" Mai demanded, a frown adorning her face.

"Naru?" Bou-san asked cautiously.

"Really? You think Naru is her father? I wasn't able to thaw him out the entire time I worked for him no matter how hard I tried. So I got over him and fell in love with another. Sadly both left two months later, neither of them knowing I was pregnant." Mai ranted angrily.

"You mean, Lin-san is Emiko's father?" Bou-san asked incredulously.

"You managed to figure out who Naru really was but never figured out who Emiko's father was?" Mai asked in disbelief.

"Obviously not. He's just a brainless old man." Ayako commented, dryly. Bou-san just glared at her instead of rising to the bait like he usually would, which was mostly due to the fact that Emiko was sitting between them. Mai sighed and stood.

"You should go. I have things to think over. Especially since Lin-san doesn't know he has a daughter." Mai told them, walking to the door and opening it. Ayako and Bou-san nodded and left without a fuss. Mai closed her eyes and sunk to the floor cradling her head in her hands. A soft thud was heard and soft footsteps pattered over to her.

"Mama? Are you ok?" Emiko asked, placing her small hand on her mother's hair and smoothing over it gently. Mai looked up, eyes watering and a small, weak smile on her face. She gathered Emiko into her arms and held her close to her chest as she tried to calm down. Not long after, Emiko was fast asleep in her mother's arms. Mai smiled at the sight and gently stood, taking Emiko to her room.

* * *

Mai woke late morning the next day after staying up late to think about the situation she was suddenly thrust into. She heard a low humming and smiled. Emiko did love to hum her favourite tune. Mai stood and changed quickly before heading to the kitchen and finding Emiko rummaging through her personal cupboard and pulling out some crackers. Mai smiled at the sight before swooping in and grabbing her daughter around the waist, hugging her from behind. Emiko squealed in delight and giggled, turning around in Mai's embrace to return her mother's hug.

" **Good morning Mama."**  Emiko said in fluent English. Mai had learnt to speak English during school and had John's help with pronunciation. She'd also learned Chinese, secretly, by herself. When Emiko was born, Mai taught her to speak both languages as well as her native Japanese.

" **Good morning, sweetie."**  Mai replied a smile on her face.

" _ **Are we going to see Papa today?"**_  Emiko asked, switching to Chinese.

" _ **Yes. I need to call him and let him know."**_  She replied, also switching to Chinese.

"Yay. Mama, I'm hungry." Emiko said, switching back to Japanese. Mai smiled again and put Emiko down, before walking to the cupboards and pulling out the ingredients for egg omelettes. Although she'd never been to England she had learnt to cook meals from China and England so her daughter would have a wide range of food to choose from.

"Omelettes for breakfast, Emiko?" Mai asked, chuckling when she received an enthusiastic nod.

It didn't take long for the omelettes to cook and then be practically inhaled by the four year old and Mai. They both had a cup of tea with their food before finishing. Mai placed Emiko on the couch and let her read the book she had started the previous day. It wasn't the usual book that a four year old might read because Emiko was highly intelligent, mostly due to her father's genes. Emiko was reading the English version of The Christopher Robin Story Book by A.A Milne  **(A/N: This is an actual book I read when I was growing up. If you don't know what it is then look it up online. It is a very good book for young children although I have never come across a four year old that could read it, lol).** Emiko found the book to be rather enjoyable. While she was doing that, Mai walked to the phone and called Ayako.

" _Hello?"_  Ayako asked, answering the phone.

"Ayako? It's me. I wondered if the number to contact Lin and Naru is the same." Mai asked, with a sigh.

" _You decided to tell him then. Yes the number to contact Lin and Naru at SPR is the same."_  Ayako responded. Mai could almost hear the smug look she knew would be on Ayako's face at the moment.

"Ok then, thank you. Bye." Mai responded, not wanting to deal with Ayako and Bou-san for too long. She disconnected the phone call before dialling the number for the SPR office. The call was picked up after two rings.

" _Shibuya Psychic Research, Lin Koujo speaking. How may I help you?"_  Lin's deep baritone came down the phone line. Mai shivered, remembering that fateful night almost four and a half years ago.

"Koujo, it's me. We need to talk." Mai said, getting down to business.

" _Mai."_  Lin breathed softly. More chills assaulted Mai's spine as her name rolled off his tongue.

"Yes. Can you meet me at the café below the office? I'll be there in ten minutes." Mai said, trying not to let him affect her.

" _Of course. See you soon."_  He replied, before disconnecting the call. Mai sighed before turning to her daughter.

"Emiko, go and put your coat and shoes on. We're going to see your Papa." Mai said, causing the little girl to grin before quickly placing her book down, closing it and running off to her room. Mai shook her head in amusement before heading to do the same and grab her satchel. She was glad she had put on jeans this morning, especially since it was raining outside. After doing a quick search for her bag she joined her daughter by the front door.

"Did you want to take your book, Emiko?" Mai asked before picking up an umbrella. Emiko nodded and quickly ran to the couch, grabbed her book and handed it to her mother to place into her satchel. Grabbing her daughters hand she walked outside, locking the door behind her and put her umbrella up before moving out from under the porch.

The mother/daughter duo walked at a moderate pace towards the café. Mai knew that Lin would already be there since the café was directly below the office. It didn't take them long before they arrived and found Koujo sitting in a booth at the far corner of the café. As soon as they entered, he looked up and regarded them intently. Butterflies fluttered in Mai's stomach when she saw him. She knew his Shiki had notified him of their arrival. Emiko had a huge grin on her face and was looking around the café for a few minutes before her eyes finally rested on the man that Mai had shown her photographs of. Steeling herself, Mai gripped her daughters hand a little tighter before walking over to him.

"Hello Koujo." Mai greeted as she slid into her seat, next to her daughter.

"Hello Mai. Who's this?" Lin greeted, turning his attention to Emiko.

" _ **I'm Emiko Lin."**_  She told him happily in Chinese. Lin blinked in surprise, turning to look at Mai for an explanation.

"Why does she have my last name?" Lin asked cautiously.

"She's your daughter." Mai replied, sighing slightly.

"My daughter. She's my daughter. How is this possible?" Lin asked in disbelief, earning a glare from Mai.

"You know very well how this is possible, Koujo. I expect you to take responsibility." Mai replied, her voice frosty.

"Of course. I just don't understand why you never told me." Lin replied, recovering and levelling Mai with his own glare.

"I-I apologise for not informing you. I didn't think it was right to tell you over the phone or via email. I figured this was something that needed to be done in person. Aside from that Koujo, I knew the Davis' needed your support in their time of grief." Mai replied, her voice shaking slightly. Lin sighed softly before standing up and moving round to the side to pull Mai into his warm embrace.

"It's alright. I'm angry you didn't tell me but I can forgive you. You're right, this sort of thing did need to be done in person." He whispered in her ear, brushing her long hair behind her ear. He released Mai and smiled at Emiko before folding her into his embrace.

" _ **I missed you Papa."**_  Emiko whispered in Chinese, making the usually stoic, silent man smile. He was happy. He had a daughter and loved the woman who birthed her so much so that he intended to marry her before the year was up.

'Now how to break this to Naru.' Mai and Lin thought simultaneously.


	2. Telling Naru

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So you have all requested a second chapter to this story and I will happily oblige. As you all should know it was meant to be a one-shot but it looks like it's going to be more than that after all. I'm hoping it will end after this chapter but there may be a chance that it won't. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. (Oh and just to clarify, Mai was nineteen when she got pregnant having worked for SPR for three years (since she was sixteen) and now that Emiko is four, Mai is twenty three.)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_Naru looked at the clock and sighed. It was late. He wondered if Mai had realised the time and gone home yet. He heard a shuffling through his door and five minutes later there was a knock._

_"Come in." He called. Mai walked through the door, a tray in hand with cups on it and steam rising from them. Naru rolled his eyes and focused back on the book in his hands. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mai place a cup of hot tea down on his desk before turning away. She paused at the door and Naru looked up at her._

_"Naru, it's getting late so I'm going to head home now." She said, before she closed the door he spoke up._

_"Be here at 8am tomorrow." The door closed and he went back to his book, occasionally sipping his tea. He heard the door to Lin's office open and then close again. He listened carefully as Mai shuffled about in the outer office. Five minutes passed before he heard Lin's door open again._

_"Do you need a ride home?" He heard Lin ask._

_"I was going to walk." Mai replied softly._

_"I can give you a lift if you'd like." Lin offered, making Naru smirk. He knew Lin had developed feelings for the clumsy girl. He, himself, hadn't but that was because he was essentially emotionally cut off after Gene's death._

_"I'd like that very much Lin-san. It'll save me from getting soaked." He heard Mai reply. Naru let out a breath of satisfaction at the fact that Mai would make it home safe. He may not like the girl the same way that she had liked him but he was her boss and did get concerned for her safety. Naru stopped eavesdropping and focused back on his book as he heard heavier footsteps approach his office._

_"Naru, I'm taking Mai home." Lin informed him. Naru nodded his head slightly in an affirmative and heard the door close. A few minutes later two sets of footsteps walked out of the office and closed the door behind them._

_He was alone now, the office was quiet._

_-Flashback End-_

 

Naru looked around the office, the furniture was covered with sheets to prevent dust landing on it. The equipment was back in the storage cupboard where it belonged when they weren't on cases and the offices were set up how they had been four years ago. Naru quickly pulled the sheets off the furniture and shoved them into the closet which stood by the door next to the coat rack. He quickly made himself a cup of tea before shutting himself into his office. Everyone knew he and Lin were back except Mai. The former SPR members had picked them up from the airport and he suspected Madoka had informed them of their return before they had left.

When he'd tried to call Mai a week ago and ask her to come back, she hadn't picked up. In fact he'd gotten an automated voice telling him that the number he'd dialled was no longer in service. He'd frowned at that. It was highly annoying that the clumsy girl no longer used that number. He wondered what happened to the girl during the four years that they'd been away. After an hour of contemplating this he heard the bell above the office door go, signalling clients or people entering the office. He opened his office door and saw that Ayako and Bou-san were already seated on the couch, chatting animatedly. Naru frowned and walked into the outer office.

"This is not a café. If you wish to chat then go to the café downstairs." Naru told them frostily. The duo looked up at him before sharing a knowing look and turned back to face him. Naru's frown deepened.

"We thought you'd like to know Mai's new details. But if not then we'll leave." Ayako said as a smirk appeared on her face as she stood to walk out the door. Naru narrowed his eyes at them as Bou-san went to follow suit.

"Stop." Naru ordered. The duo paused by the door and turned around to face him. They smirked at each other before returning to their seats. Naru grabbed a pen and a notebook, handing it to the pair.

"Write her new details down then leave. I'll get in contact with her soon." Naru told them, as Lin walked out of his own office to the kitchenette. The pair quickly wrote down Mai's new details and left. Naru called Mai an hour later, just as Ayako and Bou-san arrived at her apartment.

The phone was answered after the first two rings.

_"Hello, Emiko speaking."_  The voice answered on the other end with a slight giggle.

"Emiko? I was told this was the number to get in touch with Mai Taniyama. Is this the right number?" Naru asked as voices floated from what sounded like the other room on the opposite end of the phone.

_"Yes. Hang on."_  Emiko replied. Naru heard the voices get louder before halting.  _"Mama, the phone is for you."_ He heard the girlish voice say, giggling slightly. Naru's eyebrows rose a bit at that sentence. So Mai had a daughter. This was definitely a surprising new development. He wondered who the father was.

_"Hello, Mai speaking. Who is this?_

"Mai." Naru responded.

_"N-naru? Why are you calling?"_  she asked.

"Are Matsuzaki and Takigawa there?" He asked, getting straight to the point not bothering to answer her question.

_"Yes they are. Why? How did you get my new number?"_ Mai demanded, suspicion lacing her tone.

"They gave it to me. I'll call you back later and let them explain." He replied coolly before disconnecting the call. He smirked, knowing full well that Mai would be interrogating the pair. He went back to work, only pausing occasionally to get himself a fresh cup of tea.

* * *

The next day…

About three hours into their work the phone rang. Naru ignored it and let Lin answer it. That's what assistants were for after all. Naru continued to read his book.

"Shibuya Psychic Research, Lin Koujo speaking. How may I help you?" Lin said into the phone. Naru didn't know what the person on the end had said but he heard Lin respond, saying Mai's name softly. Realising that it must have been Mai on the other end he picked up the connecting phone and listened in on the conversation, smirking slightly.

_"Yes. Can you meet me at the café below the office? I'll be there in ten minutes."_  Mai said. Naru could hear her trying to keep her voice steady, making his smirk widen.

"Of course. See you soon." Lin replied, before disconnecting the call. Naru waited for Lin to put the phone down before he put his own one back in its cradle. He heard Lin's heavy footsteps head toward his office. The door opened and Naru looked up from the book he'd been pretending to read.

"I'm going down to the café to meet Mai. I'll be back shortly." Lin told him, rather than asked him.

"Fine." Naru replied, going back to his book. He expected the door to close but it didn't. He looked up again.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't eavesdrop on personal conversations either, Oliver." Lin said, closing the door. Naru's eyes widened slightly, trying to figure out how Lin knew what he'd done momentarily forgetting about the sorcerers Shiki. When he did remember he groaned lightly in annoyance.

_'How could I forget something like that?'_  Naru thought, mentally berating himself. Shaking his head he went back to his work, frowned and then turned his book up the right way. He huffed in annoyance before closing the book and heading to the kitchenette to make himself another much needed cup of tea. It wasn't like the tea that Mai made but it'd have to do until Mai was under his employ again. Half an hour later he heard the bell on the office door ring, drawing him out of his office. Mai stood there holding the hand of a little girl. Lin stood the other side of the girl, holding her other hand. Suddenly the girl ran towards him and hugged his leg.

**"Uncle Oliver!"**  she crowed in English, startling him. He frowned, feeling confused before looking up at both his assistant and former assistant with a questioning look racing across his face before he settled his mask back on. Lin and Mai smirked at him.

**"Who are you?"**  he asked the girl in English.

**"I'm Emiko Lin! My mama and papa are over there!"** She replied, pointing to Lin and Mai. Naru blinked a few times, trying to compose himself as much as he could but failing more than he'd like.

**"How? What? When?"**  Naru choked out in English, shocked beyond belief and completely losing his composure. He stared at the girl before moving his shocked gaze to Lin and Mai who were chuckling. Actually, Lin was chuckling and Mai was on the floor laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Emiko grinned up at him, still clinging to his leg.

**"Oh, Naru…I thought…you'd…be…intelligent…enough to…figure this…out!"**  Mai gasped, trying to calm down. Lin reached down and pulled her up. They all walked to the couches and sat down.

**"I must admit, I have to agree with Mai on this one Oliver."**  Lin said, still chuckling slightly. Mai settled down still unable to believe the amount of emotion that Naru had just shown. It was amazing what such a surprise like a child could do to someone so emotionless.

**"I won't pretend I don't know how a child is conceived. What I want to know is when it happened and why I didn't know about this sooner."**  Naru replied, a frown appearing on his face. Mai sighed and looked down at her hands, fidgeting uneasily.

**"Don't worry, Noll. I didn't even know about my own daughter until half an hour ago. It was a shock to me too."**  Lin said, looking fondly at Mai and Emiko. Emiko grinned at him before turning to snuggle into Naru's side.

**"I can understand you."**  Emiko stated, still grinning.

**"I realise that, especially since you greeted me in English."**  Naru told her, smiling faintly.

" **I suppose I owe you both an explanation.**  I apologise for not telling either of you sooner." Mai said, starting in English and switching to Japanese half way through her sentence. She looked up, smiled at her daughter before glancing at the men.

"Yes, an explanation would be appreciated." Lin replied easily. Mai leaned against his arm before beginning her explanation.

"Well, four years and two months ago Lin took me home which both of you already know. I invited him in and he ended up staying the night. Things happened, as they do. Two months later, you found what you were looking for Naru. I kept getting sick during those two months but thought nothing of it. About a week after you left Japan, Ayako got so concerned that she insisted I go and see a doctor. They confirmed her suspicions. I was pregnant. During my pregnancy and when Emiko was born, the others supported me. Even Masako supported me, which I must say was a bit of a surprise in itself. When Emiko's birth certificate was filled out I didn't give her my last name. I gave her yours Koujo. I thought she deserved to know the truth right from the start rather than grow up not knowing who her father was." Mai explained, her gaze flicking between Naru, Lin and Emiko.

"I'm disappointed that you never told us from the start but you're a good woman, Mai. I understand you wanting to tell us in person." Lin replied, pulling her into his embrace. Emiko hopped down from beside Naru and climbed up onto her mother's lap. Mai wrapped her arms around her daughter and rested her head on Lin's shoulder.

"Sorry Koujo, Oliver. I didn't mean to keep it a secret for so long." Mai whispered before falling asleep. Emiko joined her in slumber. Lin held them both and Naru smiled slightly at the sight before returning to his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There you have it, chapter two and Naru's reaction. Hope it wasn't too dull. I may do one more chapter where they get a case to do but if I do it will be a relatively short, not-so-dangerous case because Emiko will be there as Mai has no-one to look after her unless I bring Madoka onto the scene. I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Taking a Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok, after reading through this story I've decided that it's not the ending I wanted so it will be continued. I'm going to bring Madoka in because I think she'll add the little something extra that my story is lacking (kind of like a missing spice in a Thai dish or something, lol). This chapter will involve a short case that is not-so-dangerous. I'm surprised how easily this story is coming to me, in fact I think it's basically writing itself.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.

* * *

_-Flashback-_

_Madoka and Luella sat at a table in a small café close to BSPR having lunch and chatting animatedly. Madoka hardly ever got enough time away from her paranormal research to enjoy a meal with her bosses wife. She briefly wondered how Lin was and what Noll was up to. It was odd that they wanted to go back to Japan but the country itself did have far better paranormal cases than England did._

_"Have you heard anything from Noll yet Madoka? I told him to call me when he landed and he still hasn't. I'm getting worried." Luella said, pulling Madoka from her thoughts._

_"No, I haven't heard from either Koujo or Noll." Madoka replied. Suddenly Madoka's phone rang. She checked the caller ID and grinned._

_"Speak of the devil." She said, her grin getting larger. She answered her phone and visibly paled when she heard Koujo tell her his news. She'd liked him for a while but now that she knew, she realised that she no longer had a chance with him at all. She responded to him with short answers, forcing cheerfulness into her voice. As soon as the call was disconnected, Madoka's face fell and she sighed heavily._

_"What's wrong? What's happened?" Luella asked, starting to panic at her companion's forlorn expression._

_"It's Koujo." Madoka said, looking at her hands._

_"What about him?" Luella asked again._

_"He has a daughter, a four year old daughter. With Mai." She replied sadly._

_"Well, that's wonderful news. Why are you so sad?" Luella frowned with concern._

_"I've always like Koujo but now I have no chance. I mean I am happy for him, for them both but I can't help but feel sad that I no longer have a chance to be with him." Madoka explained, shaking her head._

_"I see. You're jealous that Mai has something with Koujo that you wish you had. It's alright." Luella replied, patting her hand and offering the other woman a comforting smile._

_"I know. It's silly." Madoka said, cheering up a little bit._

_"What of Noll?" Luella asked._

_"Oh, he's fine. He's being a workaholic as usual." Madoka chuckled. Luella smiled and started in surprise as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and raised her eyebrows at the caller ID. She answered the call quickly._

_"Hello dear." She said into the phone._

_"Hello Luella. I'm sorry if this is inconvenient but I don't have Madoka's number and I need to talk to her." the voice said on the other end._

_"No, no it's absolutely fine. In fact Madoka is sitting right across from me." Luella replied with a smile. She quickly passed her phone to Madoka who answered._

_"Hello?" Madoka asked._

_"Hey Madoka!" the voice said happily._

_"Mai! How are you?" Madoka asked._

_"A little worn out but I'm really well. I take it Koujo told you about Emiko." Mai replied, inquiringly._

_"Yes, he did. In fact he told me about ten minutes ago." Madoka told her, smiling slightly when she heard another voice in the background saying 'Is that Aunt Madoka?' The phone had obviously been pulled away from Mai's ear as she could hear her muffled reply to her daughter._

_"I have a favour to ask of you Madoka." Mai said suddenly._

_"What is it?" Madoka asked, frowning._

_"Well, we just got a case and the whole team is needed. I don't have anyone to look after Emiko though and I don't want her to come on the case with us as she might get injured and I can't risk that. Would you consider coming to Japan to look after her? I know it's a long flight and expensive but I can reimburse you." Mai explained, nervousness appearing in her voice._

_"Of course. I can get the next flight out. Don't worry about reimbursing me either. I certainly have enough money to pay for it and I would love to meet my niece." Madoka replied in a firm yet excited tone._

_"You're a saint Madoka. I don't know what I'd do if you'd said no." Mai said in relief._

_"It's not a problem. I'm sure Luella wouldn't mind meeting Emiko either." Madoka replied a huge grin spread across her face. She looked up and saw Luella almost practically bouncing in her seat, a large grin also on her face._

_"Thanks Madoka. I'd better go now, it's getting extremely late and I need to transfer Emiko to her bed. She fell asleep on the couch." Mai said, disconnecting the call._

_Madoka and Luella grinned at each other before heading back to BSPR to inform Martin of the recent development and their plan._

_-Flashback End-_

 

Madoka yawned as she got off the plane, following Luella and Martin. They'd caught the next flight to Japan and it was an early morning one that had left England at four thirty in the morning and arrived in Japan at twelve thirty in the afternoon. Madoka was slightly disgruntled at having to miss her beauty sleep. The trio went through the usual process at Tokyo airport before finding Lin, Mai and Emiko waiting for them.

**"Hello Madoka, Luella, Martin. I hope your flight was ok."** Mai greeted them in perfect English. Martin looked vaguely surprised as the last time he'd met Mai, she had trouble speaking English. Madoka and Luella didn't look surprised at all since they had spoken on the phone and Mai had talked in English then as well.

**"The flight was fine, thank you Mai. The food was terrible though."**  Luella replied with a wry grin. Mai chuckled and Lin smirked. Emiko was also smiling and looking at the newcomers with curiosity. She knew the names of the trio but not the faces that went with them.

**"Right, I suppose we should take you to the hotel to drop your bags off and then to lunch. It's our treat."**  Mai said, looking at Lin with an innocent smile. He sighed lowly before dropping a kiss on her forehead and grabbing Emiko's hand.

* * *

The following day…

"So Mai, when's this case and what's it about?" Madoka asked.

"We leave next week. The client owns a small resort in Kyoto. The haunting is slightly odd." Mai replied, getting up to organize a snack for Emiko. The kitchen opened straight onto the living room, making it one spacious room. The only thing separating the living/dining area from the kitchen was an island/breakfast bar. Mai's entire apartment was a mix of modern and traditional Japanese design.

"How is it odd?" Madoka asked.

"Well, people who visit go missing for a few weeks and turn up randomly in the pool acting like nothing happened. Perhaps nothing does happen but until we investigate we won't know the truth." Mai explained.

"What else?" Madoka asked.

"Well the client said that the earth rises and falls, like its breathing. A heartbeat can sometimes be heard throughout the whole house. Trees appear bigger one day and smaller the next. Whenever someone lights a fire in the main room it always goes out and breathing can be heard. Apart from that I don't think there's much else going on." Mai continued, finishing making Emiko's snack before going to get the girl from her room.

"Sounds interesting but it also sounds pretty tame compared to other cases you've done." Madoka mused as Mai entered the living room with Emiko in tow.

"You're right but it obviously intrigued Naru enough to accept the case." Mai replied with a smile, handing her daughter her snack.

"Hi Aunty Madoka! Thanks Mama." Emiko said chirpily. Her long black hair was pulled into a plaited ponytail and she was dressed in a knee length royal purple dress with a white cardigan. Her amber eyes sparkled happily as she dug into the fruit and yoghurt Mai had prepared.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you?" Madoka greeted, changing the topic.

"I'm good thank you!" Emiko replied between mouthfuls of food. Half an hour later a knock sounded at the door, making Mai sigh. She stood and walked to see who was there. Opening the door she saw an annoyed Naru and a pleased looking Luella. Martin had a barely there smile and Lin's face showed thinly veiled amusement at Naru's predicament.

"Hello. Come in, Madoka's already here and Emiko's reading." Mai said, smiling as she stepped aside to let them in. After closing the door she turned to walk down the short hall to the living room but didn't get very far as she was suddenly pinned to the wall by Lin who dropped a short but passionate kiss on her lips. Mai was so surprised that before she could reciprocate, Lin had broken away and turned to walk to the living room giving her a quick wink, a smirk on his face. Mai stood there for a few minutes, her hand touching her lips before she broke out of her daze and walked into the lounge where everyone was convened.

"Tea, anyone?" Mai asked, smirking slightly as she noticed Naru's head snap up and his expression look less sullen. It was amusing to see such a look on his face, and although uncharacteristic, Naru had somewhat softened after finding his brother's body. He showed emotion a little more freely even if it was fleeting. Mai however had become used to reading Naru and had learnt to tell how Naru was feeling just by looking at his eyes. As they say, the eyes are the window to the soul.

"Tea would be lovely, dear." Luella replied with a smile before returning to fawn over Emiko. The woman was treating her like her own granddaughter and while Mai didn't mind, it was slightly odd, amusing even. Luella must have figured that since Naru wasn't going to give her grandchildren any time soon she might as well fawn over Mai and Lin's daughter.

Mai turned and made tea for everyone, watching the group interact as she waited for the kettle to boil. When the tea was prepared she grabbed a tray and placed the cups onto it, putting honey, sugar and milk on the tray too with a couple of spoons for those who wanted sweetener in their tea. Mai placed the tray on the coffee table in the centre of the living room. She smiled fondly at her daughter who reached for her own small cup. Emiko looked up at her mother, as if she knew she was watching her and smiled happily.

"Thank you Mama." Emiko said, going back to her book. She looked around the rest of the group and noticed Luella grinning and sharing a look with Martin and Madoka who both looked amused. Lin smirked and Naru's eyes held faint amusement and nostalgia, as if he was remembering something from his past.

"Noll was always reading books from an early age too." Luella supplied, noticing Mai's smile and raised eyebrow. Obviously she'd seen the look in Naru's eyes too. This made Martin chuckle and Naru go back to looking grumpy again. Five minutes later another knock sounded on the door and Mai sighed, again. She rolled her eyes as she stood to get the door.

"Ayako? Bou-san? John? Masako? Yasu?" Mai questioned, surprised that they'd also turned up.

"We heard there was a gathering and thought we'd stop by." Yasu replied easily, as Mai stepped aside and let them in. Heaving a sigh, Mai shut the door behind them before heading back to the living room which was getting crowded. She looked at Madoka who had a smug look on her face and figured she'd contacted one of the others who'd told the rest and ended up here at her place. All the seats were taken and everyone was chatting animatedly with the exception of Lin, Naru and Martin.

Mai walked to the kitchen and made another five cups of tea for her SPR family before turning to sit on the floor and ending up being startled as Lin pulled her into his lap. Mai felt her face burning before she managed to control it. She took a deep breath and relaxed into his embrace enjoying the feeling of family and togetherness that filled her home. She'd never had a big family before and it felt good.

Two hours later, they were all at the office and all the equipment was packed away in the van before everyone climbed into their respective vehicles. Like four years ago, Mai was riding with Naru and Lin in the company van. Emiko stood with Madoka, Luella and Martin on the footpath waving goodbye as the team left, headed for Kyoto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be up very soon. I'm rather surprised how long this story is going for but since you are all enjoying it, I will continue posting. Oh, and I apologise for the shortness of the chapter. Hopefully the next will be slightly longer.
> 
> (Btw, what do you all think of Emiko? Let me know in your reviews/comments.)


	4. Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here is chapter four. Wow, I never thought I'd have this many chapters. I'm feeling a bit lazy so I won't be detailing the case, sorry if that disappoints you. Hope you enjoy the new chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.

* * *

The case was solved within a few days. It had been very similar to the  _'Cursed House'_  case they had taken about seven years back when Mai was sixteen and still a freshman at school. This one however wasn't nearly as severe as there were no deaths, just a few possessions and minor injuries on Mai's part. The exorcism had been performed by Ayako as there were still live trees around for her exorcism to be a success. When the client had informed Naru of the problem he'd been intrigued but a few days in he started to lose interest when he discovered it was very similar to a case they'd done before.

For the second time in a week, the group gathered in Mai's apartment and not in the SPR office, much to Naru's pleasure. He'd smirked when everyone had turned up on Mai's doorstep the following day after they had finished the case, excepting Lin of course as he had stayed the night with Mai and Emiko. At the time Mai had been unsure about letting Lin stay but was grateful that Emiko was a sound sleeper and didn't wake due to certain activities that went on that night.

Mai had flushed pink when her friends had shown up and saw a shirtless Lin sitting in the living room with a sleepy Emiko, which was directly visible from the door down the short hall. Naru had just raised an eyebrow and smirked and Martin had done the same. The rest of the group just grinned at her and walked in, causing her blush to deepen as she recalled the activities of the previous night.

 

_-Flashback-_

_Mai had just finished putting a sleepy Emiko to bed when a knock sounded at the door. Giving a final kiss to Emiko's sleeping form, she pulled the girls bedroom door to and went to answer the door. She wondered who could be visiting at this time of night. Needless to say she was fairly surprised to find Koujo standing there. Mai smiled and let him in._

_"Have you had dinner yet Mai?" He asked softly._

_"I haven't because I usually take a shower and feed Emiko first. She's already in bed; poor thing was completely worn out today." Mai replied as Lin looked around the room for his daughter. He nodded and pulled Mai into his embrace, kissing her softly before pulling away._

_"You go shower, I'll cook dinner." He said with a small smile. Mai nodded and headed off to her room to collect her pajamas. Mai returned moments later to find Koujo looking through her kitchen cupboards and setting ingredients on the bench. Just as she entered the bathroom he turned._

_"I hope you like Chinese." He said with a smirk on his face._

_"Oh, don't worry Koujo. I absolutely LOVE Chinese." She replied with a cheeky grin and a wink. As the bathroom door swung shut Koujo's smirk widened and a light dusting of pink spread on his cheeks. He started cooking and twenty minutes later, dished up just as the shower turned off. Mai appeared with her hair in a messy bun, wearing a red silk robe which showed off her bare shoulders nicely. Koujo gave her an appraising glance making her blush prettily. They sat on the couch together and ate their meal before moving into the bedroom where a heavy make-out session occurred. Sometime during the night their clothes landed on the floor._

_A few hours later they were fully sated and just lay there enjoying each other's company. Mai curled into Koujo and buried her head into his shoulder as he kissed her hair softly._

_"I'm so glad Emiko's a sound sleeper." Mai whispered, making Koujo chuckle as they allowed sleep to overcome them._

_-Flashback End-_

 

Emiko, noticing her family gathering in the living room perked up and bounced around the room hugging everyone, including Naru. She settled in her father's lap again and picked up her book before looking up at her mother.

"Mama, I'm hungry." She said, making everyone laugh as Mai sighed and got up to make everyone tea and her daughter breakfast. They all continued to talk and laugh as the morning wore on before they decided to head out for lunch, leaving Mai, Lin and Emiko to sort themselves out for the day.

* * *

After lunch at the café down the road, Mai decided that she was going to teach Emiko how to bake cupcakes for the rest of the day. Although Lin wasn't too keen on joining in, he did stay and sat on the couch, reading. Mai grabbed all the ingredients and equipment out of the cupboards and set them up on the bench. She then grabbed a chair from the dining table for Emiko to stand on so she could help. While Mai was doing all of this, Emiko was snuggled into Lin's side resting.

"Ok, Emiko. Come and help Mama do some baking." Mai said with a grin, making Emiko look up with an excited look in her eyes and her own grin on her face. During the process of baking both girls made a huge mess and ended up with flour and batter on their faces and clothes. Lin looked highly amused at the mess as the girls giggled happily, putting the batter into cupcake cases and into the oven.

While the cupcakes were cooking, Mai got herself and Emiko cleaned up and changed into a clean outfit. Emiko's hair was now in a side ponytail and was wearing a pair of black cotton jeans with a tangerine coloured top and a deep green cardigan. Mai, luckily, only had to change her top and wash her face. Her hair was still in a messy bun and her top was a royal blue. Very soon Mai was smiling and Emiko giggled as the cupcakes were pulled out of the oven and put on a cooling rack before they could be iced. While they were cooling Mai and Emiko made icing, this time with little to no mess, and set it aside.

When the cupcakes were finally cool enough the girls covered them in icing before Emiko giggled and picked one up, skipping over to Lin to give it to him.

"Here you go Papa!" Emiko chirped with a grin on her face.

"Thank you Emiko." Lin replied, taking the cupcake from her. He took a bite and Mai noticed his eyes widening slightly. She tilted her head curiously wondering if it was a good or bad thing. She noticed Emiko also watching him, the large smile still on her face. Lin swallowed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Perhaps you should try a cupcake yourself. They're very nice." He told Emiko, before sliding his gaze towards Mai. She raised an eyebrow and picked up a cupcake, taking a bite. She felt her own eyes widen as the cupcake almost melted in her mouth. The middle was still slightly warm and they were light and fluffy. She grinned at Emiko and Lin before grabbing a cupcake for Emiko and handing it to her.

"These cupcakes have to be the best ones that I've ever made. Well, I should say 'we' since Emiko helped too." Mai said, looking at her daughter who looked like she was about to protest at not being included in Mai's first comment before smiling again when her mother corrected herself.

"We made really yummy cupcakes Mama. We should share them with Aunty Madoka, Aunty Masako, Aunty Ayako, Uncle Yasu, Uncle Oliver, Uncle Hōshō, Uncle John, Granny Luella and Granddad Martin!" Emiko exclaimed, ticking off her fingers with each person she named before frowning slightly trying to think if she missed anybody and smiling when she found she got them all. Mai smiled and grabbed a box to put the cupcakes in without squashing them. The trio finished their own cupcakes before slipping on their shoes and coats.

"Let's go, let's go!" Emiko said, excitedly. Mai and Lin shared a glance before heading out to his care, Mai holding onto Emiko's hand and holding the box of cupcakes in her other hand. Their friends were in for a treat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there is chapter four. I had a little bit of a hard time finishing this chapter as I had a lack of inspiration but I was watching the telly and saw a cooking show where they were making cakes and thus inspiration struck. I mean, what four year old kid doesn't like helping their mum's bake? (I'm not sure if I should write another chapter because inspiration for this story is coming to a halt. If you're lucky I may write one more chapter but I think this is a good ending for now. I guess we'll just have to wait and see).


	5. Cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm such a bad person! I haven't updated in such a long time! Sorry, forgive me? I made you guys another chapter! This one is where everyone gets to try the cupcakes. Let the fun ensue! Hehe.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own GH. I only own Emiko.

* * *

As soon as Mai, Lin and Emiko stepped into the office everyone turned to look at them with large grins on their faces. Inside his office, Naru noticed the sudden silence in the main room and frowned momentarily before allowing himself a quick grin.

"Mai, tea!" he yelled. He heard the chuckles coming from the others and footsteps headed in his direction. His door opened to reveal an amused yet stern looking Mai. He looked at her nonchalantly.

"Emiko and I made cupcakes. If you want one and your tea then you have to come out of hibernation. Otherwise you're not getting anything." She told him before shutting his door and walking away. Naru blinked a few times before returning to the file in his hands. An hour later he heard his door open and looked up to see Emiko standing by the door frame.

**"Uncle Oliver?"**  She asked, using English. He noticed she had a rather serious look on her face.

**"Yes, Emiko?"** He replied.

**"Are you coming to join us? Mama and I made really nice cupcakes but she said you couldn't have one unless you came out of your bear cave."**  She said, innocent and wide-eyed. Smirking he decided to indulge her. Walking forward, he picked her up and he exited his office. As he walked into the noisy main room he thought he heard a chuckle in the back of his mind.

The rest of the SPR team turned to look at him, falling quiet. Mai was sitting on a sofa curled into Koujo's side, a soft smile on her face. Ayako and Bou-san were sitting together on the opposite couch while Yasu and John were sitting next to each other. Masako was sitting with Mai and Koujo, an empty spot between her and Mai. His usual armchair was occupied by Madoka. His parents had found chairs and had placed them beside the armchair. With a sigh he went and sat between Mai and Masako, placing a now smiling Emiko in his lap.

Turning to look at Mai, he opened his mouth to speak but before he could even get his request out she shot up and turned to him.

"Yes, I know Naru. Tea." She stated dryly with a small grin as she walked off to the kitchen to prepare a fresh pot for everyone. The others started laughing, Masako joining in too although she covered her mouth with her hand since she was wearing western clothing that day. Before he could ask what was so funny, Lin spoke up.

"You're getting predictable Oliver."

Mai returned with a tray of tea and everyone's personalised cups that she'd bought as a welcome back gift. Also on the tray was a lone cupcake. Emiko hopped off his lap and darted forward, picking it up before handing it to him and returning to her father's lap. Laughter ensued when Naru accidentally let his mask slip as he bit into the cupcake.

"This is delicious." He stated, swallowing the mouthful of cupcake. The rest of the afternoon went by slowly, everyone enjoying each other's company and the playful banter that followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There you have it, chapter five. I thought that was appropriate place to end it and I hope you enjoyed it. BTW, sorry it's so short!


	6. Moving In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This will be the final instalment and I may just do an epilogue detailing Mai and Koujo's wedding, leave a review or vote on the poll if you think I should do an epilogue. I'm sure you will all enjoy this chapter. Onwards with the story!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own GH. I only own Emiko.

* * *

_Three months later…_

Lin stood in the middle of his apartment living room, surrounded in boxes. He and Mai had gotten reacquainted over the last three months and he'd also got to know his daughter more. It'd only been last week when he'd asked Mai if she and Emiko would move in with him. Mai had said yes of course and they'd celebrated the change in their relationship by going out to dinner as a family. He knew Mai used to have a very limited amount of things but after having a child, she'd had to increase her belongings. At least half the boxes that were piled in the living room were filled with Emiko's belongings, which made him roll his eyes. He didn't know how a four, almost five, year old child could have so many things. He figured that Mai and the others must have spoiled her in his absence.

"Koujo, what are you doing?" Mai asked from behind him. He turned around swiftly and pulled her into his embrace. He leant down and kissed her passionately, surprising her. After a few minutes, Mai recovered enough to kiss him back just as passionately. They were rudely interrupted by a tugging on the hems of their shirts.

"Can you stop making kissy faces Mama and Papa? I'm hungry and I want my room to be sorted out. After that then you can make me a little brother or sister." Emiko said, loudly with a tone of bossiness. Lin and Mai broke apart, looking at each other and then looking at their daughter before both cracked a smile.

"Is that so, Emiko?" Mai asked, raising an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Yes, it is." Emiko declared imperiously.

"I think you've been hanging out with Uncle Oliver a bit too much." Mai replied amusedly, sharing a look with Lin who was chuckling.

"I don't pay you to think." Emiko replied smartly, trying to imitate her Uncle.

"You don't pay me at all. I'm your mother, not your employee." Mai replied, grinning. Emiko only poked her tongue out at her mother and ran off to read in the corner of her mostly bare room. They'd moved her bed and an armoire into the room earlier, along with a new beanbag which had been given to her by Bou-san and Ayako. Still laughing Mai went to make Emiko a sandwich and her usual small cup of tea. Mai placed it on the table and went to retrieve her daughter.

"Thank you Mama." Emiko said, tucking into her food. Mai smiled and went organise the rest of the boxes with Lin. Mai was pleased that at least her daughter remembered her manners unlike a certain narcissist. She shuddered, thinking the influences that Oliver was putting on Emiko. She'd have to have a word with him about that.

A couple hours later, the pair managed to sort everything out and put it away. Emiko helped with the few things that she could carry or put away. Mai slumped on the couch, exhausted after moving and organising everything. She and Emiko had finally finished moving in with Lin and it made her extremely happy.

* * *

 

_Another month later..._

Mai sighed happily, wrapping her arms around Koujo's waist and kissing him soundly and passionately. When she pulled away he raised an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. She just kissed him again in response. Pulling away she couldn't help but look at her left hand where her engagement ring sat. She never thought she'd ever get married, let alone thought she'd have a family with Koujo Lin of all people. Sighing she thought back to when he proposed.

 

_-Flashback-_

_A knock sounded on the door, surprising Mai as she hadn't been expecting anyone. She walked to the door and opened it, finding Madoka standing there with a large Cheshire cat-like grin on her face. She walked in and handed Mai an envelope. Curious, Mai opened it and read the contents. She did wonder where Koujo had gone off to. Turns out he wanted her to follow the instructions in the letter and meet him somewhere. She vaguely recognised where he wanted her to go and turned to Madoka._

_"I take it Koujo sent you to look after Emiko for us while we're out." Mai said, smiling. Madoka nodded and smiled at the young woman before shooing her out the door. Mai was barely able to grab her shoes and jacket before the door was closed behind her._

_She walked slowly down the path, following the directions that Koujo had left her in the letter. She came to a stop at a romantic looking park, surrounded by sakura trees. She breathed deeply and smiled, making her way to the middle of the park where she could see Koujo waiting for her. It wasn't dark yet, only twilight so the setting was very beautiful in the sunset. She stopped in front of Koujo and looked at him. He smiled and kissed her softly before getting down on one knee, surprising her._

_"Mai, I know we didn't have the best of meetings when we first met but it progressed into something more than even I anticipated. You told me not to hold a grudge for something that happened long before either of us were born and during the time we worked together, we became closer without really realising it. Before Oliver found Gene neither of us knew that we created something beautiful, our daughter. Now I ask, will you make me the luckiest man alive and do me the honour of becoming my wife?" He said, opening a small velvet box and revealing a simple yet elegant diamond and white gold ring._

_Mai gasped as her hand flew to her mouth. For a few agonising seconds she could do nothing but stare at him. Before he knew it though, she flung herself into his arms._

_"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She exclaimed happily. She kissed him deeply and passionately, Lin returning the kiss. Relief and happiness coursed through him. For a moment he'd thought she was going to reject him but he berated himself for that silly thought, knowing Mai wouldn't do that. He hadn't shown it but he'd been nervous before he'd asked._

_"I love you, Mai." He murmured against her lips. He felt her smile and hold him tightly. Before long he released her and gently slid the ring onto her finger. She beamed up at him and kissed him again._

_"I love you too, Koujo."_

_-Flashback End-_

 

Mai was jolted out of her reverie by a loud knocking on the door of their apartment. She frowned; none of their friends ever knocked that loudly. She stood and went to answer the door, Koujo following her.

"Hello?" Mai asked opening the door. The man standing in front of the door pushed past them, into the apartment and scowled.

"Where is she?" He growled angrily. Mai looked at Koujo, confused. He quickly ordered his shiki to protect Emiko while they dealt with this strange man who'd barged into their home.

"Where's who?" Mai asked carefully.

"Mai Taniyama." He replied.

"Why do you want to know?" Koujo asked tersely, folding Mai into his embrace.

"I-I don't know." The man said, suddenly looking dazed and lost. Mai and Koujo shared a glance, frowning.

"Who are you looking for?" Mai asked softly.

"I don't know. Where am I? Who are you people?" The man said, looking more confused than ever.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Mai asked, still speaking softly.

"I was at work, I think. Yeah, I was at work." He replied.

"Do you know what day it is?" Mai asked.

"Thursday, or is it Friday?" The man said, sounding confused again.

"It's Saturday actually." Mai told him. The man looked scared and Mai stepped forward, out of her fiancés embrace.

"How is that possible? How can I not have any memories of the past few days?" The man asked, starting to panic.

"What's your name?" Mai asked, throwing a glance to Koujo telling him to call John. He nodded and walked into the other room to use the phone.

"Akio Higashiyama." He replied.

"Well then Higashiyama-san, I'm Chika Miyama. Would you like a cup of tea?" Mai enquired, giving the man a fake name in case the spirit possessing him was waiting for her to admit who she is. She carefully examined the man's posture and noticed tensing of muscles that shouldn't be there. She realised it meant that the spirit possessing the man was very close to the surface.

"Yes, a cup of tea would be lovely Miyama-san." Higashiyama replied with a small smile. She saw one of her fiancés shiki out of the corner of her eye, following her and smiled slightly. She returned moments later with the tea, keeping her own close to her as she'd put sleep medicine into the man's tea to help him relax more. She noticed the man examining her photos and quickly pick something up, shoving it in his pocket before whirling to face her with a tentative smile on his face. She regarded him curiously as his eyes changed from brown to black and back to brown again.

"Thank you, Miyama-san." He said as she handed him his drugged cup of tea. He surprised her by drinking it all in one go. He smiled at her again and placed the cup down, walking towards her.

"You have a daughter, Miyama-san?" he asked, lowly. Mai stiffened, her instincts warning her that something wasn't right. Luckily Koujo walked back into the room, his shiki having sensed the wrongness of the air in the living room. Higashiyama backed off and yawned, sitting down. Five minutes later he was snoring his head off and another few minutes passed before a quiet knock sounded at the door.

"It's just me." John said, entering through the already open door. Mai smiled at him, giving him a quick hug before returning to Koujo's warm embrace.

"I put sleeping medicine into his tea so he'd be easier to exorcise." Mai said gesturing to the man slumped on their couch. John looked at her, a wry smile on his face. Shaking his head, he got started on the exorcism.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John said, starting the exorcism.

A few minutes passed before John completed the exorcism. Afterwards Mai could tell the difference as the man's body visibly relaxed. She smiled and walked forwards, slipping her hand into his jacket looking for inside pockets and not finding any she started searching his outer pockets.

"Mai, what are you doing?" Koujo asked, frowning.

"I saw him pick something up off the shelf where our photos are and shove it into his pocket. I just want it back." Mai replied pulling back, a photo in her hand. She looked at the photo and gasped. It was her favourite photo of Emiko and Lin that she'd taken a few months back, shortly after he'd found out he had a four year old daughter.

"Mai, how long does that sleeping medication last?" John asked concernedly. She looked over at the man and noticed he was having trouble breathing. Her eyes widened.

"Long enough for us to make up a story and get him to the hospital. Fast. It looks like he has an allergic reaction to the medicine." She replied, running to get the bottle of medicine from the kitchen. She shoved it into her pocket and picked up her phone.

"Ayako, how fast can you and Bou-san get here? I need you to look after Emiko. There's an emergency, I'll explain later." She said hurriedly.

 _"We'll be right there. Bou-san and I were on our way over anyway. We're about five minutes from your place."_  The woman responded.

"Alright. See you soon." Mai replied, hanging up. She walked into Emiko's room and gave her a quick kiss before walking out to John and Koujo who were discussing backstories. She shook her head and pulled out an adrenaline shot, injecting the man in the chest with it. He had almost stopped breathing and was turning blue. It was a relief to know she had these handy for whenever Emiko had an allergic reaction to something.

"Get this man into the car, now!" Mai shouted at her fiancé and friend. They nodded and did as she told them. John was wide-eyed and Koujo had worry in his eyes. They hurried out the door just as Ayako and Bou-san pulled up.

"Ayako, Bou-san thank god you're here. Emiko has already been fed, bathed and put to bed. She's sleeping now. I'm hoping we won't be too long." Mai told them as she got into the car with Koujo. John was climbing into the backseat with the man, Koujo having put their daughter's car seat inside five minutes before. The trio hurried off to the hospital and checked the man in, told the doctors their made up story of what had happened and then headed home. It was a relief to Mai knowing she hadn't accidentally killed a man when she put him to sleep for an exorcism.

John, Ayako and Bou-san all remained to talk for a short while before heading back to their own homes so Lin and Mai could get some rest. It had started off as a good day but ended with a stressful twist and the couple were completely exhausted. They bid their friends farewell and went off to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There you have it, the final instalment of Unexpected Surprise. If you want me to do an epilogue let me know in your review.
> 
> UPDATE (11 MAY 2018): I think I did start an epilogue but I've never actually finished it...and I may not get around to doing so for a good long while. At the moment, I'm just transferring all my work on FFN here to AO3 because my computer won't let me log in to FFN which means I can't update my fics there.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I should probably add now that during the flashback, Mai is nineteen and I've de-aged Koujo a little bit so the age difference isn't too big. He's around twenty-five in the flashback...in the rest of the chapter (given four years have passed), she'll be twenty-three which makes him about twenty-nine.


End file.
